Sam
I was inso muchtrouble. And I couldn’t even be mad at William because he didn’t know I hadn’t been honest with Daddy about where I spent the night when we weren’t together. It wasn’t the same, but I almost felt like I was cheating on him, because I wasn’t where I was supposed to be, and that made me sick to my stomach.
All night, I’d been distracted and grumpy. It was hard to believe it had only been hours earlier when Daddy was texting me naughty messages and I was begging him to let me rub one out when I got home. I wished there was a way to go back to that easy banter, but I had a feeling my night was going to be filled with groveling instead.
“You go back and count the tills,” William instructed me as he turned out the lights and Theron locked the front door. “We’ll help Corey finish up out here. That way all of us can have an early night.”
“I have to check on the back deck, too,” I reminded him. Ihatedhaving to go back there. Now that William had agreed to oversee the more hardcore side of the club, I didn’t spend much time back there, but I still had to collect the tills and do a final walkthrough to make sure no one was hiding out in the private rooms. It had never happened, but itcould, and when I was tired at the end of the night my fears weren’t always rational.
“Since I’m here, I might as well make myself useful,” William offered. “Head back and I’ll bring the tills in to you shortly.”
Any other night, I would have been grateful for all the help but, tonight, I felt like I was being rushed to my death. Okay, so that was overly dramatic, but Daddy wasn’t happy with me, and knowing I’d upset him sucked big time. I’d been around couples in the lifestyle long enough, I knew I’d earned myself a punishment by not telling him I wasn’t going home.
I hadn’t meant to lie to him, but I knew he’d suggest I come to his house if I didn’t want to go home, and there were all sorts of problems with that. I didn’t want to get too comfortable in case we realized we weren’t compatible after the honeymoon phase ended. It could happen. We were at totally different points in our lives, and I was sort of a mess. He had an established career, while I was trying to make myself so valuable to Jack that he’d consider giving me more responsibilities at the bar. I’d been doing well with that, until I’d admitted to him that I wasn’t comfortable overseeing the back deck. But my greatest fear was that Theron would start to feel suffocated having me in his space all the time. Yes, his house was huge, but he was used to having that space to himself.
“You’d be done a lot faster if you focused.” I startled at the sound of Theron’s voice. I looked up to see him standing in the doorway, the tills from the back in his hands. “William asked me to bring these to you. They’re just about finished up, and I told William I’d make sure everything was locked up so they can get home.”
“Thank you for your help tonight.” I pulled out the stack of ones and counted them, flipping them around so everything faced the same direction. It annoyed the hell out of me that the bartenders didn’t realize how much easier that made things at the end of the night. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was staying here. Most of the time I don’t even plan on it, but sometimes I study for a little while and, before I know it, it’s too late to drive home.”
“We’ll talk about that later,” Theron said as he lowered himself into the chair in front of my desk. He pulled out his phone and started playing some game. I watched him until he looked up at me, quirking an eyebrow and nodding toward the paperwork on my desk. “Focus, Sam. I know you’re worried about what’s going to happen when we get home, but I want you to push that out of your mind for the time being.”
That’s easier said than done.
“Excuse me?” Theron crossed his arms tightly over his chest. “Would you like to add back-talking to the list of things you’re in trouble for?”
“No, Daddy.” My shoulders slumped. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud but, seriously, how was I supposed to not think about how he’d punish me? I’d been trying to focus all night and it had been a miserable failure.
Twenty minutes later, I had the deposits bagged and in the safe. The only thing left, other than a walkthrough on my way out, was printing and signing the cash count sheets. Before, I would have stocked the main bar as a way to decompress and clear my head before starting on my project, but not anymore. I’d have to find a new way to unwind after work because I had no doubt Daddy would drive down here and hover if I didn’t leave at the end of my shifts.
“Would you prefer to leave your car here or follow me to the house?” Theron asked as I set the alarm and locked the back door.
“I can follow you. That way you don’t have to give me a ride to work tomorrow.”
“But I might,” Theron told me as he slid a hand across the small of my back. “It took me by surprise when William told me you’ve been falling asleep at work rather than going to your house. I might need to keep a closer eye on you until I know you’ll come home to me if you don’t want to go to your apartment.”
“I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you,” I protested. “I’ve been studying in the office for so long, it’s commonplace to me. It’s easier to do it there than try and focus when I’m at my place, because I don’t have to worry about the guys being obnoxious when they’re playing whatever video game they’re addicted to.”
“I still wish you would have told me.” Theron took the keys out of my hand and unlocked my car. He stopped me when I tried opening the door, pinning me to the side of the vehicle. “It made me look bad when I was sitting there trying to convince William I was ready to take care of your needs and he slapped me with the news that you’re not where I thought you were when we’re apart.”
Theron kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his waist, hoping the fact he was holding me meant I hadn’t screwed up so badly things couldn’t be fixed.
“I just wish you would have said something, sweetheart.” Theron rested his chin on the top of my head. “I miss the hell out of you on the nights when we’re apart, and knowing you were here instead of at your apartment is like a knife to the gut.”
“I didn’t want to take over your entire life,” I explained. Theron’s laughter was unexpected. “Why’s that funny to you?”
“Oh baby, we’re definitely going to have a long talk in the morning. I absolutely love looking around the house and seeing traces of you when you’re gone,” he admitted. He spun us around, so he was leaning against the car. I stepped between his legs and rested my head against his chest. I usually got annoyed by anything that reminded me how much shorter I was than the typical guy, but there was something oddly comforting about Theron’s chin on my head. “If I had my way, I’d have already cleared out half the closet to make room for your things, and I would have set up a desk in the guest room for when you needed to work undisturbed. But I know that’s not a healthy way to start a relationship, so I’ve been holding back. I suggested that you go home on the nights you had to work so we could spend time together, but you didn’t feel like I was taking over your entire life.”
“Iwantyou to take over my life,” I admitted. The best part about him being Daddy was when I didn’t have to think about anything or make decisions. I had enough of that between school and work, and it was comforting to know my life wouldn’t fall apart if I didn’t have the brain power to do all the things. “I thought you wanted time to yourself and that’s why you didn’t want me coming over after work. Or that you didn’t want me waking you up in the middle of the night.”
Theron wrapped his hands around my biceps and pushed me back far enough that I could meet his gaze. “There has never been, and will never be, a time when I don’t want you with me. It’s still early days, but I would hope that it will eventually beourhome.”
Maybe hearing him speak so frankly about the future should have scared the shit out of me but it didn’t. Hell, I’d seen couples who moved from awkward first meetings to commitment ceremonies at warp speed. There was just something about relationships that involved elements of power exchange that seemed to make them progress rapidly. “I’d like that too, Daddy.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page. When you get home, pull into the driveway. This weekend, you’ll have plenty of time to think about whether you want to withhold information from me in the future while you help me clean out the garage to make room for you.” As far as punishments went, I could think of worse. I wasn’t looking forward to organizing when I could be playing, but it beat some of the alternatives. And him telling me I wasn’t parking on the street felt symbolic, like he wanted me to remember I had a permanent place available for the taking.
Daddy opened the door for me, leaning in to help me buckle up. We’d reached a point where if both of us were going someplace together, or if he’d walked me to the car, I didn’t even reach for my belt. That was Daddy’s job.
I focused on his taillights in front of me as we made the short drive home. The stupid, insecure part of my brain screamed at me that it wasn’t home, it was Theron’s house and he wasn’t even officially my boyfriend so I couldn’t claim his space as my own. I thumped my palm against the steering wheel, trying to force those thoughts out of my head.
